Time's Up
by theyHAUNTme
Summary: Someone once asked me what I had thought dying felt like. I had no answer for them - until now. Bella/Edward


**Time's Up**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own these characters...I am certainly not Stephenie Meyer.

**Summary:** Someone once asked me what I'd thought dying felt like. I had no answer for them...until now. Bella/Edward

**A/N:** I quickly wrote this up during my Computer Concepts class. I hope it's okay. Not beta read by anyone. Warning, there is a character death.

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**Preface:**

If somebody asked me what dying felt like, I'm not sure what I would have said. The stereotypical response is that it's peaceful. That you see a bright light from the heavens and a warm feeling. There may also be singing in the background. That description isn't what dying feels like at all. I would know. Dying isn't peaceful, nor is there any singing or a funnel of light. Dying is coldness. Dying is darkness. Dying hurts.  


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Edward was hunting in Canada with Jasper and Alice. Carlisle and Esme were visiting the coven of vampires they knew in Denali. Emmett and Rosalie were vacationing up in a small town in Maine. And I was bored. I had nothing to do. The Cullens were away and Jacob was off somewhere with the pack.

Frustrated, I decided that I could take a walk around town. Even though walking presented a hazard to me, I couldn't think of anything else to do. I was sick of seeing the inside of Charlie's house, I couldn't go to Port Angeles because Edward would freak out, I had no tests to study for, and the Cullens were gone. After clearing it with Charlie, I slipped on my sneakers and grabbed a sweatshirt in case it got cooler as the day wore on.

"Make sure you stay within Forks," Charlie warned me. "I don't want you getting lost out there. Be home before dark."

"I'll be fine Dad," I reassured him.

I walked outside and my eyes were instantly met with brightness. For once, it was sunny and warm in the little town of Forks, Washington. The sun was a welcome change from the clouds and rain that usually blanketed the town. I soaked up as much sun my white skin would allow. Even when I lived in Phoenix, where it was sunny nearly every day, I still couldn't seem to get tan. It was annoying. But now it wasn't so bad...at least I knew a few people - well, seven, specifically - whose skin was even whiter than mine. And harder, and more beautiful, and sparkly when in the sunshine.

I slipped my sunglasses on my face and began walking. I wasn't sure where I was going. I was just going where my legs took me. I had no rhyme or reason to where I was going, I just walked. It wasn't easy to get lost in a town this small. I knew nearly everybody and where every road led. However, I wound up in the park not too far from Charlie's house. It was very peaceful. It was very open, except for the forest that made a U around it. There was a playground with multiple pieces of equipment for children – small and large – to play on. There was a soccer/football field, a field hockey field, and a baseball field. There were tables if somebody wanted to have lunch there, or if they just wanted to relax.

I walked over to a bench and lounged on the seat. I watched as a few small children played on the jungle gym, the monkey bars, and the swings. Their mothers were all sitting at a table, watching their children and having a conversation with each other. A few young teenagers were throwing a Frisbee around, waiting, it seemed, for the rest of their team. I saw a several people on the jogging trail; a young man and woman with their dog, an elderly man, and a middle-aged man. The young couple passed by me first without a second glance. The old man smiled politely and, with a southern accent, said, "Howdy, ma'am."

"Good afternoon, sir," I replied automatically.

But then the middle-aged man passed. His shirt was drenched with his sweat, as was his face. He stopped a few yards away from me and sat down on a different bench. He pretended to be scrolling through the different songs on his iPod, but I could feel his intense stare burning through me. Instinctively, I moved my hair to hide my face, but I could still feel my cheeks burning. My heart sped up and my breathing came more rapidly. Nervousness clawed at my stomach, twisting and coiling it into knots. I clenched my hands into fists and stood up. He smiled at me, but I ignored him.

My heart still beating irregularly, I walked quickly in the direction towards my home. However, walking hastily probably wasn't the best idea. My toe caught on the pavement and I fell to the ground. My hands stung and I knew they were probably scraped. My knees hurt, so they were probably bruised.

"Are you okay?"

I jerked around and saw the middle-aged man standing over me. He had gotten to me so fast. That was impossible. There were only seven people I knew who could reach me that quickly. That meant that this guy was either a vampire, or he had been following me. I knew the latter option was probably the most logical, although it was the most disturbing. This guy was definitely NOT a vampire. He was too tan, he wasn't at all beautiful, his voice wasn't silky, and he was sweating, which meant he was hot. That left me with option two. My chest felt like ice had just slithered down it and into my stomach. Why was this guy following me?

He reached down and helped me to my feet. His skin was warm to the touch and soft, so that made the vampire theory _completely_ out of the question. When I was on my feet, I wiped the dirt off my palms and onto my jeans. I examined them...not too bad. Just a brush burn. I remembered the guy standing a few feet away from me.

"Er, thanks," I mumbled.

I began to walk away. I was more careful this time and managed not to trip over anything. My heart sank as I remembered that I had to go through the walk way that was tunneled by the woods in order to get home. I took in a deep breath and continued walking briskly. As soon as I was in the tunnel of trees, I began to sprint. I prayed to the powers above that I wouldn't trip. However, inevitably, my feet managed to catch onto something and I fell. But instead of hitting the hard ground, a hand yanked my back. I staggered back onto my feet. I felt something sharp against my throat and a voice growl, "Don't scream," into my ear.

"Oh, God!" my voice whispered out, quivering.

The man dragged me into the woods, into the darkness. It was a lot cooler under the shade the trees provided. The one time Edward leaves Washington – the United States, for that matter – on a hunt trip, I need him the most. The one time I actually sit in the park, there's a creep who wants to hurt me.

When we were in the deep coverage of the trees, he threw me to the ground. The ground was still wet and murky that the back of my shirt and jeans were instantly saturated with mud and water. The man crouched down to my level and pointed the knife at my throat. Even if I could get my lungs to work, my scream wouldn't be heard. We'd been walking through the thick forest for several minutes.

"Take your clothes off," he ordered.

He wanted me to take my clothes off! He was going to rape me before killing me! I curled up into a defensive ball as I stated, "No." My voice was supposed to be strong and defiant, but it was weak and quavering.

"No?" he repeated. "Let me get a few things straight with you. _I_ have the knife, which means that _I_ can tell _you_ what to do. And if _you_ don't cooperate...well, let's just say that they'll be finding bits and pieces of you throughout Washington. So, let me say this one more time..._take off your clothes_!"

If he was going to kill me, he might as well do it now. I certainly didn't want to be violated before getting hacked to pieces.

"No."

I braced myself for the stab as it hit my chest. Pain exploded through me. Pain I'd never endured before. Pain that momentarily stunned me. I let out a cry, but the man struck me. My cheek was on fire now.

"So, you want me to do this the hard way, don't you?"

He grabbed the handle of his knife and yanked down. The blade severed through my skin and blood poured out of the incision. I smelled the blood and my head began spinning. I'm not sure if it was because of the blood or because I was _losing_ blood, but it didn't matter. I could feel my life slipping away with every breath I took.

"Edward!" I moaned softly.

"If you won't take off your clothes, I'll take them off for you," the man told me fiercely.

He began to cut my shirt open, the knife digging intentionally into my skin. I heard a scream. It took me awhile before I realized that the scream was my own. I felt his fists connect with every square inch of my body....And then he was gone. I heard a fierce snarl. A velvety voice growled, "Get off of her!"

I heard the man scream, and it suddenly stopped. I struggled to force my eyes open. I somehow managed to keep them open long enough to see my savior over top of me. His cold, stone hands were pressing down on my chest in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. His fingers were coated in my sticky, sweet blood, but that didn't seem to bother Edward. Concern radiated from every inch of his body, but especially from his topaz eyes.

"Bella! Bella, love, stay awake," he pleaded, speaking rapidly. "I'm here. Everything will be okay. Alice has taken care of that piece of scum and she's called for an ambulance. You'll be fine."

Alice? She was here too? I tried to look around for her, but I simply didn't have enough strength to do so. I sighed in frustration. Not only could I barely move, but I could barely see. Black spots were diminishing my vision. I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them, hoping that would help. But, to my chagrin, the black spots remained.

"Alice?"

A second figure seemed to materialize by my side. A set of icy hands enveloped my clammy ones. I tried to take in a breath, but it was suddenly very difficult. A few minutes ago, it was like sucking through a straw...difficult, but I could still breathe. But now it felt like the end of that straw was being squeezed shut. Very little oxygen was getting through. I coughed and blood came up. I suddenly realized that the blind spots in my vision were caused by the lack of oxygen in my body. My lungs were filling with blood. I was slowly drowning.

I was suddenly enveloped in coldness. My body was no longer on the ground. Death couldn't happen this quickly, could it? Then I realized I was in Edward's arms. Why was he holding me? I was bleeding like a stuck pig. My blood would ruin his clothes...

...And then I was moving. I was no longer in the deep cover of the trees. The sky was directly over top of me. The sun was not shining anymore. It was covered by a thick blanket of clouds. It would most likely be raining soon. Edward was holding onto me tightly. Much tighter than he usually did. My heart ached as I realized that he was trying to hold me together. If he could hold on tight enough, maybe he could keep the life in me.

"Hold on Bella!" he murmured painfully. Could he feel my life slipping away from me? Why didn't he just bite me? I then realized that my heart wouldn't be strong enough to pump the venom through my system. I was on borrowed time. "The ambulance is coming."

My ears couldn't hear them yet. But a minute later, I heard the sirens wailing. I wondered if Charlie would be coming. I didn't want him to see me like this. I could barely breathe now. My chest was exploding in pain. My head was spinning. I knew I wouldn't last much longer.

"Kiss me!" I choked out. I wanted to feel his lips on mine one last time. "Please?"

A pained expression crossed his face, but he complied. He dipped his head down to mine. His lips brushed against mine, feather light. That simply wouldn't do. I crushed my lips to his, using my last bit of strength. He didn't pull away, and I assumed he wanted to make the most of our last few minutes. He pulled back after awhile so I could breathe.

"No, Bella!" he demanded. "Hang on for me! Fight for me. Fight for Charlie! Don't you dare give in!"

"I love you," I whispered. I was slipping. We both knew it, even though we didn't want to admit it. My time was up. "Alice...I love you like you were my own sister. Take care of Charlie for me. Make sure Edward doesn't do anything stupid or something he'll regret."

"No, Bella, NO!" Edward roared. "Don't talk like that! How am I supposed to go on?"

"Live the way you lived before you even knew I existed," I said weakly. "You MUST go on! For me. I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered. "More than you'll ever know."

My eyes lost the battle and closed. The pain intensified. I felt myself slipping further and further away from this world. Whoever said dying was peaceful was wrong. They never died! But the physical pain isn't as bad as the emotional agony. When you die, you leave behind everyone you love. I would never see Renée, or Charlie. I'd never see Angela, or Ben, or Mike, or Jess, or Jacob. I would never see Esme, or Carlisle, or Emmett, or Alice, or Jasper, or Rosalie. But worst of all, I'd never see Edward. The burning pain I felt from the wound in my chest was bearable. But I would never get to see his smoldering golden eyes. Or his adorable, crooked, half-grin. His cold lips would never press against my skin. My ears would never hear the velvety ring his voice had. I would never, ever, see my Edward again...

...And that hurt the worst.

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**A/N 2:** Please let me know what you thought. Did you like it? Didn't you? If not, why? I like to be critiqued.


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